Aston Villa transfer for £30m striker would be 'surprise' despite Premier League links

A move away from Aston Villa for Danny Ings would come as a "surprise" according to one transfer expert who has commented on the recent rumours linking the striker with a move to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Ings, 29, signed for Villa in a deal worth up to £30million in the aftermath of the Jack Grealish transfer saga and has taken some time to settle at his new club. While his current return of five goals and five assists has not quite matched his form from previous seasons, Ings is looking more comfortable in a Villa shirt with each game he plays.

His early partnership with his colleague Ollie Watkins took some time to develop but in recent weeks against opponents such as Southampton and Leeds United, the two have shown promise whilst operating in the same team as each other. Despite these promising signs, recent rumours emerged linking Ings with a move away to Villa's Premier League rivals Brighton.

However, these rumours have been squashed by transfer insider Pete O'Rourke, who whilst speaking to GIVEMESPORT, stated this on a possible exit for Ings this summer: “It would come as a surprise because Danny Ings arrived last year as a real secret deal. Nobody saw it coming.”

Steven Gerrard recently commented on the form of Ings in a Villa shirt earlier this month, where he stated: “By people on the outside, strikers are judged just on goals. But we judge players on a lot of things around their main skill set and Danny is doing fine.

“Everything we have asked him to do, he is doing. It will only be a matter of time before the goals come. There are two sides to that. As a team we have to serve Danny, create the right chances for both him or Ollie (Watkins), or whether it be Leon (Bailey) up there or Bertrand (Traore),